Super Saiyan 2
(abbreviated as SS2 or SSJ2) is an entirely new transformation, very similar to Super Saiyan in appearance and even attainment. In order to achieve this transformation, the Saiyan must have experienced a powerful emotional upheaval, much like the original Super Saiyan transformation, but to a greater extent. Because of the intense emotion required to initiate the transformation, any mastery of the Full-Power Super Saiyan state, and mental stability attained therein, is negated, and the naturally remorseless nature of the Saiyan race is magnified, requiring them to remaster the personality changes. Even the gentle, polite Gohan becomes a hotheaded, merciless fighter after transforming, opting to torture Cell rather than kill him despite his father's pleas. Appearance The golden hair brought on by the original transformation becomes longer and rigid; any hair that hung loose in the Super Saiyan transformation (in the case of Goku or Gohan, because Vegeta lacks any strands in front of his face, as does Gotenks) is now raised. Increased energy radiation causes the aura to take on a jagged, fierce flame-like appearance rather than smooth or flowing. Because the energy output and radiation is higher than that of any Super Saiyan, the aura pulses at a higher frequency, like the type 2 aura, at least in the manga. Muscle mass is barely increased, but energy output is multiplied manyfold; such that greater amounts of the Saiyan's increased energy capacity can be used at once for much more powerful energy attacks, and even speed is augmented incredibly by the boost, unlike the Ascended and Ultra Super Saiyan states which cause the muscle mass to swell and thus impede the user. Another notable feature of the form featured in almost all Dragon Ball Z games and some scenes of the show as well as pictures from the manga, is the electrical aura, many electrical sparks (normally blue, gold in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3) that constantly surround the body — especially when charging up. However, they aren't always present (especially in the anime; Gohan and Vegeta aren't the only ones who lack the trait completely in some episodes), and some fans sometimes mistake a charging Super Saiyan for a Super Saiyan 2 due to the lightning sparks, such as Goku Jr. in the A Hero's Legacy special and Trunks and Goten in Dragon Ball GT. However, the one and only time the lightning aura is depicted on a first level Super Saiyan is with Vegito; in the manga, they never reappear in his aura after his transformation, nor are they ever shown on any other first-level Super Saiyan. Usage and power The Super Saiyan 2 form was chronologically achieved by Gohan after witnessing the Cell Juniors's attack on the Z Fighters and Android 16's death at the hands of Perfect Cell. The power of the Super Saiyan 2 form skyrockets far beyond the power of the Super Saiyan, Ascended Super Saiyan, Ultra Super Saiyan, and even Full-Power Super Saiyan forms. Perfect Cell and Bojack, who could both easily dominate those in the Ascended and Ultra Super Saiyan forms and were somewhat stronger than Full-Powered Super Saiyans even without accessing their full strength, were easily slaughtered by Gohan in his Super Saiyan 2 form. In addition, when Perfect Cell produced seven Cell Jrs., each of the Z Fighters were unable to fight evenly with even one of them (including Goku, Vegeta and Future Trunks, but the former was exhausted from his previous fight with Perfect Cell himself). However, when Gohan fought the Cell Juniors in his Super Saiyan 2 form, he killed all of them effortlessly on his own in simple, single blows, and was unaffected by their most powerful attacks. Gohan proceeded to fight and severely injure Perfect Cell with just two punches, even when the android unleashed his full power. However, in a Kamehameha struggle against Super Perfect Cell, Gohan had a very hard time due to having his left arm broken by Super Perfect Cell's attack when he defended Vegeta after he attacked the android to try to avenge his son's death (a blast which was stated to reduce Gohan's power output to less than half its normal amount). It was only a little help from Goku and Vegeta that Gohan needed to summon enough power to destroy Super Perfect Cell. A few months to a year later, in the movie Bojack Unbound, the Z-Fighters were having a hard time fighting against Bojack and his henchmen and even Gohan was nearly killed. However, when Goku teleported to Earth and saved Gohan from Bojack, Gohan, after hearing his father's words of encouragement, again tapped into his Super Saiyan 2 powers and easily defeated Bojack and his henchmen in a matter of minutes. Seven years later, Gohan demonstrated the Super Saiyan 2 transformation to Kibito in the World Martial Arts Tournament. It is also suggested that he used this form to battle Broly when he reappeared in Broly: Second Coming, though he was outstripped by the Legendary Super Saiyan's massive power. However, this was partially because of Gohan's lack of training up to that point that made him noticeably weaker. In addition, since Broly survived getting punched in the stomach by Goku after he was greatly powered up by his friends in the movie Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly's power most likely increased substantially after recovering from near-death (as all Saiyans do). Though, to Gohan's credit, his blows managed to inflict Broly with a noticeable level of injury (whereas nobody in Broly's first appearance could damage him in the least), as Broly was knocked back when he was knee-struck in the face by Super Saiyan 2 Gohan. However, Vegeta mentioned that Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 form was now much weaker than when he fought Perfect Cell due to his lack of training. Following the events of Majin Buu, seven years after the Cell Games, Goku and Majin Vegeta fought evenly matched with each other in their Super Saiyan 2 forms. The arrival of Majin Buu is shown to far surpass the power of a Super Saiyan 2; Vegeta did little damage to the monster, even when he expelled all of his energy at once in a devastating suicidal explosion. In the Fusion Saga, when Vegeta returned to Earth from Other World (with the help of Baba), he and Goku fought in their Super Saiyan 2 forms against the new Majin Buu, Super Buu. However, due to the massive power he achieved from absorbing Gotenks, Piccolo, and Gohan, Super Buu's strength easily dominated Goku and Vegeta's Super Saiyan 2 forms. It is not until Goku finally convinced Vegeta to wear the Potara Earrings so they could fuse into Vegito, giving them enough strength and power to easily gain the upper hand against Super Buu. During the fight with Kid Buu on the Sacred Kai Planet, Goku and Vegeta battled as Super Saiyan 2 for a short time (in the anime only, because Goku goes straight to Super Saiyan 3 in the manga, stating that he'd have no chance if he doesn't use his full strength). However, seeing as Super Saiyan 2 was not enough, Goku ended up transforming to the Super Saiyan 3 level to combat Kid Buu. It is stated in Daizenshuu #7 that Gotenks can theoretically transform into Super Saiyan 2. However, due to bypassing Super Saiyan 2 when transforming from a Super Saiyan into Super Saiyan 3, his complete Super Saiyan 2 form is never fully revealed, and remains unused. This form was also used in later movies, such as Fusion Reborn and Wrath of the Dragon against Janemba and Hirudegarn respectively. However, in both of the movies, either fusion or Super Saiyan 3 was used to kill the main enemy, mainly by Goku. Furthermore, during Dragon Ball GT, Vegeta and Gohan used the Super Saiyan 2 form from time to time during battle. However, by this time, it had been majorly outclassed by Super Saiyan 3 and the new level, Super Saiyan 4. One strong case for Gohan and Vegeta's usage of the Super Saiyan 2 state is when they, along with Goten and Trunks, power up with Majuub to fight against Super 17, where the robust aura associated with the state appears on Gohan and Vegeta, but not on Goten or Trunks, both of whom never assumed the state; the lightning sparks, however, are not present. When Goku appears on the battle field, he fights Super 17 in the first level Super Saiyan state before being forced to use Super Saiyan 4 without any usage of either the Super Saiyan 2 or Super Saiyan 3 levels. Trivia *Gohan is the first to achieve the Super Saiyan 2 form, with Goku and Vegeta following suit; Goku learns it in Other World and Vegeta learns it through harsh training. * When Gotenks (the fusion of Trunks and Goten) transforms into a Super Saiyan and goes directly to Super Saiyan 3, he seems to skip Super Saiyan 2. *In the Gameboy Advance game Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II, this form is incorrectly named "Super Saiyan Rage". This was however fixed in its sequel, in which Gohan states it to be a form "far beyond that of Super Saiyan," and Goku labels it "what you could call a Super Saiyan 2." It is however not playable in a different fashion like in the previous game, whereas Super Saiyan 3 is. This was stated to be so because it looks so similar to the original form in the anime that it's almost difficult to distinguish it from its predecessor; Gotenks' lack of usage of this form may have also been a cause of the lack of interest for its playability, since he uses both Super Saiyan 1 and 3, but never transforms into this form to fight. *In the Funimation dub, this form is the only true Super Saiyan form not to have its own specific theme music. *In DragonBall Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, the DragonBall GT version of Goku has all his Super Saiyan transformations with the exception of the Super Saiyan 2 form (although unlike Gotenks, Goku does transform into the state in the series). This form is also the only form never to have been taken by a fused entity, as all three Saiyan fusions have used the first transformation, and Gotenks and Gogeta respectively use the third and fourth forms, but never take this form, though the former very much could. *Super Saiyan 2 is twice as strong as a regular Super Saiyan, according to the Dragon Ball Super Exciting Guide: Story Volume, pages 62-63. Category:Saiyans Category:Techniques